CCRI inaugurated its new facilities on March 15, 2007 located at the

Magüeyes Island Marine Station of the University of Puerto Rico

(UPR) – Mayagüez Campus. The facilities will house its administration

and provides new resources for research and education activities,

such as an integrated Geographical Information System (GIS) center

and a conference room. Approximately 120 people attended the celebration including

high ranking officials such as Timothy R. Keeney, deputy secretary from the National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), Barbara Moore, director of the National

Undersea Research Program, and the Hon. Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, Governor of Puerto

Rico. NOAA’s representatives assured CCRI and the UPR of their collaboration in

forwarding efforts towards coral reef conservation studies. “NOAA looks forward to

continuing the work with you all to make

this Institute a success”, stated by Mr.

Keeney. Government agencies such as

the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources also participated in

the ceremony. “This is a clear demonstration of teamwork among government

agencies, academia, and NOAA”, said Gov. Acevedo Vilá. The Deep Coral Reef

Ecosystem Studies program was also presented to the public, which will

conduct studies comparing reefs between 150-300 ft off of La Parguera and

Ponce on Puerto Rico’s south coast. “This project, and the technology needed

to go to these depths, will explore new worlds and open new opportunities in

ways that we cannot yet fully appreciate”, expressed Dr. Appeldoorn, CCRI

Executive Director.

C a r i b b e a n C o r a l R e e f I n s t i t u t e

CCRI NEWS September 2007

On August 30, 2007, patches of oil were detected by a local fisherman off the south-western shore of Puerto Rico, specifically

at Guayanilla and Guánica, spanning approximately 500 ft wide and five miles across the coast. According to authorities, the

spill is of unknown origin and consists of a type of Bunker C oil.

Coastal areas were affected included the popular tourist areas of

Gilligan’s Island, Playa Ventana and reefs and mangroves in La

Parguera. This event occurred between the August and September

mass-spawning of important reef-building corals, such as Acropora

and Montastrea, and there is a potential that their buoyant eggs

and larvae could be impacted if they reached the oiled surface.

Fortunately, there was little direct smothering of live corals, and the

rapid response of the US Coast Guard to protect sensitive areas

and clean oil once ashore should limit the potential impact.

Oi l S p i l l O c c u r s Du r i n g C o r a l S p aw n i n g S e a s o nO i l S p i l l O c c u r s Du r i n g C o r a l S p aw n i n g S e a s o n

N ew CCRI F a c i l i t i e s I n a ug u r a t e d N ew CCRI F a c i l i t i e s I n a ug u r a t e d

CCRI facilities are now located on the 2nd floor of the CCRI facilities are now located on the 2nd floor of the CCRI facilities are now located on the 2nd floor of the CCRI facilities are now located on the 2nd floor of the main building at Isla Magüeyes, La Parguera, PR main building at Isla Magüeyes, La Parguera, PR main building at Isla Magüeyes, La Parguera, PR main building at Isla Magüeyes, La Parguera, PR (Photo: Hector Ruíz)(Photo: Hector Ruíz)(Photo: Hector Ruíz)(Photo: Hector Ruíz)

CleanCleanCleanClean----up and recovery crews remove oil washed ashore in the up and recovery crews remove oil washed ashore in the up and recovery crews remove oil washed ashore in the up and recovery crews remove oil washed ashore in the lagoon of Turrumote reef, La Parguera, PR (Photo: Hector Ruíz)lagoon of Turrumote reef, La Parguera, PR (Photo: Hector Ruíz)lagoon of Turrumote reef, La Parguera, PR (Photo: Hector Ruíz)lagoon of Turrumote reef, La Parguera, PR (Photo: Hector Ruíz)

Gov. Acevedo Vilá speaks at inauguration of Gov. Acevedo Vilá speaks at inauguration of Gov. Acevedo Vilá speaks at inauguration of Gov. Acevedo Vilá speaks at inauguration of CCRI facilities (Photo: Hector Ruíz)CCRI facilities (Photo: Hector Ruíz)CCRI facilities (Photo: Hector Ruíz)CCRI facilities (Photo: Hector Ruíz)

¡ C C R I e n E s p a ñ o l !¡ C C R I e n E s p a ñ o l !

Our website is now translated for our Spanish-speaking audience!

¡Pruebalo! http://ccri.uprm.edu

Hur r i c a n e D e a n Impa c t s t h e S o u t h e r n C o a s t o f PRHur r i c a n e D e a n Impa c t s t h e S o u t h e r n C o a s t o f PR

The International Coral Reef Initiative at its General Meeting in Cozumel

(Mexico) designated 2008 as the International Year of the Reef (IYOR 2008).

The activity is an international effort to raise awareness and understanding

about coral reefs and the threats they face, and to support related

conservation, research, and management efforts. It will be a year-long

campaign of events and initiatives hosted by governments and non-

governmental organizations around the world to promote conservation action

and strengthening long-term constituencies for coral reef conservation. Many

activities are already underway in many Caribbean countries under the

leadership of the UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme (UNEP-CEP). For

more information please visit: www.icriforum.org

On August 18, Hurricane Dean, a category-5 storm, approached within 180 miles of

southern Puerto Rico, exposing the coast to 40-kt winds and heavy surf. Negative

impacts include the destruction, burial and fragmentation of corals in shallow areas

and the uprooting of gorgonians and

sponges. Particularly affected were colonies

of ecologically threatened Acropora species.

Despite this apparent damage, the storm

also prepared the reefs for eventual

recovery. Surviving fragments of branching

corals may re-grow to form multiple new

colonies. Large overgrowths of algae were

removed, and shifting sands scoured the substrate, even at depths of 70 ft at the

shelf-edge, thus opening areas for new coral recruitment, particularly for Montastrea

and Acropora species, which spawned two weeks after the storm.

Caribbean Coral Reef Institute

PO Box 9013

University of Puerto Rico

Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 00681-9013

ccri@uprm.edu

Phone/Fax: 787-265-5496

http://ccri.uprm.edu

CCRICCRICCRICCRI is a cooperative program between the

University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez and the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

and is a core component of NOAA's Coral Reef

Conservation Program.

Impact of Hurricane Dean on same elkhorn Impact of Hurricane Dean on same elkhorn Impact of Hurricane Dean on same elkhorn Impact of Hurricane Dean on same elkhorn coral colony (Photo: Michael Nemeth)coral colony (Photo: Michael Nemeth)coral colony (Photo: Michael Nemeth)coral colony (Photo: Michael Nemeth)

PrePrePrePre----hurricane colony of elkhorn coral,hurricane colony of elkhorn coral,hurricane colony of elkhorn coral,hurricane colony of elkhorn coral, Acropora Acropora Acropora Acropora palmatapalmatapalmatapalmata (Photo: Michael Nemeth) (Photo: Michael Nemeth) (Photo: Michael Nemeth) (Photo: Michael Nemeth)

Many commercially important reef fishes form spawning aggregations that are highly predictable in space and time, making

them highly vulnerable to overfishing and deserving of special management attention. Yet, only about 12 spawning

aggregation sites have been documented for Puerto Rico. Dr. Edgardo Ojeda led a team to identify potential spawning

aggregations throughout the entire Puerto Rican Archipelago, including the

islands of Mona, Desecheo, Culebra and Vieques, using the traditional

ecological knowledge of local fishermen and divers. Using charts and GIS

analysis, information was obtained on 93 “potential” spawning aggregation

sites and spawning times, with 71 of these sites supporting spawning by

multiple species. The survey collected information on a total of 59 species,

primarily snappers (12), groupers (11), and jacks (7). Unfortunately, the survey

also recorded 27 “collapsed” aggregations. The percentage of these shows a

general decline with increasing size of fish species, showing that larger, more

commercially desirable species have been severely impacted. The number of

existing aggregation sites may indicate that localized area closures (reserves)

might not be the way to effectively manage these species, and that a complete

seasonal closure may be more appropriate.

CCRI Map s F i s h S p aw n i n g A g g r e g a t i o n s o f P u e r t o R i c oCCRI Map s F i s h S p aw n i n g A g g r e g a t i o n s o f P u e r t o R i c o

In t e rna t i ona l Yea r o f t h e Ree f I n t e rna t i ona l Yea r o f t h e Ree f

( IYOR 2008 )( IYOR 2008 )

Part of an aggregation of 500 grey snappers at the shelf Part of an aggregation of 500 grey snappers at the shelf Part of an aggregation of 500 grey snappers at the shelf Part of an aggregation of 500 grey snappers at the shelf edge off La Parguera, PR (Photo: Hector Ruíz)edge off La Parguera, PR (Photo: Hector Ruíz)edge off La Parguera, PR (Photo: Hector Ruíz)edge off La Parguera, PR (Photo: Hector Ruíz)